Published: October 07, 2005 06:15 am      

Chorus will present fall concert

By TOM LAVIS

THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT

tlavis@tribdem.com

Slip into a pair of bell-bottoms and journey back to when love was free and polyester the fiber of choice as the Greater Johnstown Community Chorus presents “Our ’70s Show” for its fall concert.

The chorus will team up with the eight-member Flood City Brass to present shows at 7 p.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday.

The concerts will be performed at Bishop McCort High School, 25 Osborne St., in the 8th Ward section of Johnstown.

Chorus director Josh Covert, who also is a guitarist with Flood City Brass, said the show is an opportunity for people to hear great music that they haven’t heard live for a long time.

“The chorus and the band will be on stage at the same time for the nearly two-hour show,” said Covert, who is band director at Meyersdale Area High School.

“The chorus will be doing mostly rhythm and blues and disco, while the band will be doing hits from horn bands such as Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears.”

Having a concert with a double bill is an unusual concept for the chorus.

“We normally showcase small ensembles or soloists who join us, but never sharing the stage to this extent,” Covert said. “The show will be split with the chorus and the band going back and forth doing about 45 minutes each.”

He said the ’70s show seemed like a natural following the success of last autumn’s production that featured music of the 1960s.

“It’s going to be a blast to have so many talented people on stage at one time,” he said. “While this may not be the most challenging form of music we have tackled, the enjoyment factor certainly is there.”

The chorus, comprised of musicians from Cambria and Somerset counties, presents three major concerts a year.

Aside from the fall production, the chorus presents Christmas and spring shows.